In Education. Former Education Specialist @NBCyberDefence Hub. Microsoft Innovative Educator. Apple Teacher. SMART Exemplary Educator. Personal account.
Our work is paying off.
Today, Mandate Letters from Premier @SusanHolt to @Gov_NB Ministers were shared with the public.
The Hon. @ChuckChiasson, Minister of Transportation & Infrastructure, will take the lead on @NBLA_ALNB's commitment to improve the air in public buildings.
ALT A screenshot of the mandate letter to the Honourable Chuck Chiasson, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. In outlines his responsibilities, including to update the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, to require new schools, hospitals, long-term care homes, and other public buildings follow ASHRAE 241, and to add suitable air filtration and cooling units to existing infrastructure.
I see a ton about long covid from legitimate, scientific sources that if it was even remotely true would have apocalyptic implications, everyone’s heart, lungs, and brain failing at once, and I can’t square it with the world I actually observe every day.
Chatting with a colleague who runs a large summer event...
Her: "The behaviour of the kids this year was a nightmare, it's getting worse and worse, it's because this age group missed out on three years introduction to school."
Me: "Schools were only closed for 12 weeks..."
Last month, EECD released air quality test results from 2023 - 2024. Data was again presented as a PDF chart, making analysis difficult.
I used their data to create visuals and a report, of sorts. You can read the full report here (PDF on OneDrive):
buff.ly/msa9XeV
ALT Cover page of Report on Air Quality Test Results in New Brunswick Schools, prepared by Ryan Murphy using EECD air quality data. The full report can be accessed at a link contained in the post.
ALT A sample of the Report's charts showing four years of air quality data from Norton Elementary School. In 2020 - 2021, peak values were 2806 PPM of carbon dioxide; in 2021 - 2022, it was 2493 PPM. A mechanical ventilation system was completed in October 2022. Following the installation, the 2022 - 2023 results were significantly lower, peaking at 902 PPM. Levels rose again the next year, with a peak of 1419 PPM.
ALT Bayview School in Saint John was tested in 2020 - 2021, and scored a peak result that met the 1500 PPM guideline EECD uses. The school no longer qualified for testing in future years. When all schools were again tested, results were much worse. No data exists to determine if either of those results is an outlier, or what the air quality was like during the nearly three years of school days between tests.
ALT Screen capture of a Department of Education & Early Childhood Development PDF chart showing the Air Quality Test Results for New Brunswick schools in the 2023 - 2024 school year.
These charts and recommendations have been shared with all MLAs, as well as the Superintendents, Directors of Schools, and Facility Managers for the 4 Anglophone School Districts.
Please follow-up with those who influence purchasing & policy.
buff.ly/hrzWjyu
ALT Screenshot of the Members Directory for the 61st Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick.
My presentation, "Crash Course on School Air Quality in NB" includes some background information on indoor air quality and the testing program in New Brunswick schools. If you are interested, you can view that document here (PDF on OneDrive): buff.ly/IBtCHs1
ALT Screen capture of a title page from a presentation titled "Crash Course on School Air Quality in New Brunswick" by Ryan Murphy
ALT Screen capture of a contents page from a presentation titled "Crash Course on School Air Quality in New Brunswick" by Ryan Murphy
ALT Screen capture of a slide from a presentation titled "Crash Course on School Air Quality in New Brunswick" by Ryan Murphy
1. 'In the 12 months of follow-up, compared with participants who had a negative test for COVID-19, people with COVID-19 who did not require admission to hospital during the acute phase of infection had increased test positivity rates for...
thelancet.com/journals/lanin…
School bans on cellphone use had NO impact on wellbeing, anxiety, depression, or problematic phone use.
Strict bans, unsurprisingly, do very little and create unnecessary "punishments".
Schools and politicians should follow evidence, not hyperbolic moral panics.
I was curious, so I exported ≈21K data points from my Aranet, taken at 2-minute intervals. Measurements ranged from 442 - 1326 PPM.
I focused on 616 - 716 PPM.
There were no readings at 666 PPM, and 667 PPM showed approximately 2x the expected value.
In Jan there was a conference:
Breathing achievement into every classroom
This conference was designed to probe the link between Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in educational buildings and the health, wellbeing, and educational outcomes of students.
UKHSA presented & IAQ experts.
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